Residents along the coasts of Oaxaca and Guerrero should remain alert as Erick — the fifth named storm of the season — is expected to make landfall as a Category 2 hurricane Wednesday night or Thursday morning, President Claudia Sheinbaum said in her Wednesday morning press conference.
Hurricane Erick has been rapidly intensifying, with maximum sustained winds increasing to near 140 km/h by 9 a.m. on Wednesday, when it was located about 205 kilometers south-southeast of Puerto Ángel, Oaxaca.
Erick is forecast to reach major hurricane strength as it approaches the coast of southern Mexico, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC).
“We ask the coastal population of both states to remain alert and seek information through official channels,” President Sheinbaum wrote on the X social media site on Tuesday.
The precise trajectory of the hurricane is still unclear, but it is expected to make landfall somewhere along a 400-km stretch of coastline between San Pedro Mixtepec in Oaxaca and Acapulco in Guerrero. The hurricane prevention zone extends from Puerto Ángel in Oaxaca to Acapulco, and the tropical cyclone alert system is yellow, representing moderate danger.
Erick is expected to produce between 20 and 40 cm of rain, with maximum totals of 130 cm in pockets of Oaxaca and Guerrero. This could lead to life-threatening flooding and mudslides, especially in areas of steep terrain, according to the NHC.
There are 22 municipalities on alert in Oaxaca and a further 10 in Guerrero.
Meanwhile, the states of Chiapas, Michoacan, Colima, Jalisco and Mexico City can expect between 8 and 13 cm of rain.
La Tormenta Tropical #Erick continúa desplazándose lentamente hacia las costas del Pacífico, ante esta amenaza, activamos el #PlanMarina en su fase de #Prevención, en los estados de #Oaxaca y #Guerrero.
El #PersonalNaval está listo para auxiliar a quienes más lo… pic.twitter.com/Wsyf4LWmgM— SEMAR México (@SEMAR_mx) June 17, 2025
The Mexican Navy (Semar) announced on Tuesday morning that it had launched the prevention phase of the Marine Plan in Guerrero and Oaxaca, aimed at preventing damage from the hurricane.
Semar has 6,418 personnel to carry out evacuation and life-saving tasks in Oaxaca, along with an Emergency Response Brigade of 100 personnel, 43 vehicles, 17 surface units and one aircraft. Also available are two mobile kitchens and a water treatment plant.
In Acapulco, the Navy has a force of 2,653 personnel, 109 vehicles and 29 surface units, as well as three aircraft, two mobile kitchens, six water treatment plants, three bilge pumps and three power-generating plants.
The news of Hurricane Erick comes as Guerrero is still recovering from Tropical Storm Dalila, which knocked out a bridge and caused power outages as it swept past the coast over the weekend.
With reports from El Financiero, La Jornada, CBS News and the Associated Press
